Director and screenwriter of 'The Seven Mysteries of Honjo'.
Related creations
The SQUARE ENIX official website lists both responsibilities under his name, with character design handled by Gen Kobayashi.
FILE23's planning and on-site reporting
Looking back on the development of FILE23 in April 2023, Takaya Ishiyama said that he and Kobayashi initially focused on story-driven RPG prototypes, but after adopting a new production system, they controlled the budget with their familiar compact ADV. The subject was determined as the Seven Wonders of the Institute, so he went to the library to look up documents and consulted Sumida Ward. After Kobayashi proposed an all-sky globe background, Ishiyama brought his camera to shoot on site, blending local ghost stories with real street scenes.
Visual constraints and dialogue feedback
FILE23 uses a first-person panoramic spherical background, with the protagonist not appearing in the frame; Ishiyama therefore arranged for companions to have their conversations responsible for the visual content and story progression. There was also reverse feedback in character creation: he first provided Kobayashi with age, gender, occupation, and impression, then Kobayashi checked Showa's materials to finalize the design, then proposed expressions like slightly pouting while thinking; After receiving Harue's expression, he wrote lines based on the picture, bringing pauses into the character's way of speaking.
Related entries
- Participated Works:Spiritual Vision Strange Tales FILE23 The Seven Great Mysteries of the Honjo
- FILE23 Character Briefing, Emotes, and Live-Action Production Collaboration:Kobayashi Gen
- FILE23 Compact Planning, On-Site Photography, and Partner Structure:Spiritual Vision Strange Tales FILE23 The Seven Great Mysteries of the Honjo
- FILE23 Project Production Collaboration:スクウェア・エニックス
References
- SQUARE ENIX: The official website of the Seven Wonders of our office
- Gamer: Post-release interview on the production of Paranoma Site FILE23 Honjo Nanashigi
Data compiled on: 2026-10-07.